“They can keep their heaven. When I die, I’d sooner go to Middle-earth.”

George R.R. Martin

Hmm. Does anyone actually read profiles? If you're here, I'm assuming you want to know a bit (or a lot, because I like to talk) about myself. So...

I am a short, hopelessly awkward high school girl who who loves The Lord of the Rings (you know, just in case you couldn't tell by my profile name), which is pretty much my one defining characteristic in a world of about 7 billion people. I like to think of myself as the queen of the so-out-there-it’s-literally-this-close-to-being-crack fic, as you will undoubtedly see when you are finished reading my enchanting mini-biography (or not) and move on to my stories. I am secretly a romantic at heart, though more Pride and Prejudice than those paperbacks with the semi-risqué covers you see next to the checkout line in the grocery store. My favorite character in The Lord of the Rings is Lady Éowyn, and next on the list is Legolas Greenleaf, followed by Halbarad. In The Silmarillion (another favorite) Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, Beleg Cúthalion, and Finduilas of Nargothrond have a place in my heart. I love nighttime in general, the color grey, and songs in A minor, being a somewhat dark and gloomy person. I also have a rather unhealthy fascination with Stabilo Point 88 pens. I love to read, play the piano, hang out with my friends, go running, bake anything remotely sweet, bestow unwanted attentions on my feline companion, catch up on Downton Abbey and Sherlock, waste time on Pinterest and Tumblr, and read and write stories on , of course! Some random and completely useless facts about me: my favorite Disney princess is Mulan. (She is indisputably the best. No one else even comes close to her level of awesomeness.) I am deathly afraid of any and all snakes, whether real, plastic, drawn, photographed, or written into a book, though I could honestly care less about spiders. I like sad stories (and extremely complex plots); my favorite book is a three-way tie (picking just one is not a thing, guys) between Les Misérables, Beowulf, and The Silmarillion. I loathe sunny days, adore rainy days, and am absolutely ecstatic whenever our fickle weather here in the American Midwest permits the rare foggy day. Becoming an Interior Designer/Astrophysicist/Medievalist/Philologist is my current plan for when I am forced to leave the comfortable charity of my parents and go off into the "real world." My favorite class is undoubtedly German (Ich schreibe gern Fanfiction!), though History is a close second. I am mostly indifferent as to the rather volatile subject of Harry Potter, having read the entire series once, though I firmly believe that J.K. Rowling completely ripped off J.R.R. Tolkien. My favorite color is blue (especially of the dark, moody midnight-colored sort), and I can French braid my hair in less than 3 minutes. Go figure.

Basically, I got my account on to read and write stories set only in the wonderful realm of Arda. This still mostly holds true, but I have become an A Song of Ice and Fire fan, and ship Rhaegar/Lyanna (Robert was a complete jerk) as well as Jaime/Brienne, though Jaime Lannister is obviously the best character. I also watch BBC's Sherlock and yes, I do in fact ship Sherlock/Molly, the best nonexistent relationship on television, as well as having developed an affection for Marvel's Thor movies and a certain trickster god (especially when paired with a certain warrior goddess). Anyway, my first experience with Tolkien was, as a child of the ages of about two to seven, simply marveling at the exciting-looking cases of my father's LotR VHS collection. I would literally just sit on the floor of our basement and stare at those for hours, wondering what amazing adventures they could possibly contain. Many of my childhood games were actually based on fantasies I wrote in my head from the glossy pictures on the cardboard covers of those now-retired video cassettes, most of them involving me riding to battle as the pretty woman with the dark hair. When I was in fourth grade, my father decided to read me The Hobbit. I loved it (which is pretty much the understatement of the century), but Middle-earth more or less receded into the background in late elementary school. Then, when I was in sixth grade, my dad started reading me The Lord of the Rings, but I decided to finish it on my own after I couldn't stand only reading half a chapter or so a night. I've loved Éowyn ever since I first met her in Meduseld, and she's been my favorite character in any book ever since. In seventh grade, I asked for The Children of Húrin for Christmas and spent all of December 25th reading that sorrowful tome, but (naturally) decided that I wanted to learn more about Middle-earth before the Third Age, if possible. However, school began again, and I ignored Middle-earth for the rest of the year until summer vacation came along, when I checked out The Silmarillion from our local library system. In eighth grade, I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in theaters, decided (once again) that I wanted more, and finally got around to watching all of the Lord of the Rings films. Soon after I found out about the wonderful world of fanfiction, and ever since I've been hooked. I got my account after finally deciding that it would be much more fun to write stories instead of just reading them (and realizing that it would be great practice for an original novel I hope to write someday), and so... here I am.

My one LotR pet peeve: using "Rohirrim" when it really should be "Rohirric." The demonym is "Rohirrim," but the adjective and language are "Rohirric." Thus, Éowyn would be a "Rohirric lady," not a "Rohirrim lady" or a "Rohan lady." She speaks Rohirric and Westron, not Rohirrim and Westron or even Rohan and Westron. I also don't like it when people leave out the diacritics on names (Eowyn instead of Éowyn, Turin instead of Túrin, Earendil instead of Eärendil, etc.) In my opinion, it is sheer laziness... Tolkien put them in there for a reason! They show how to pronounce the names properly. No, you cannot simply ignore them.

I have an account on AO3 under the same name. This shall mainly serve as backup for the reader in the unprecedented circumstance that any of my stories are deleted or this site somehow malfunctions. Any fics updated here will be updated there immediately.

I now have a tumblr (@potteringjames) as well. I may occasionally post updates on how my stories are going, so you could want to check it out every once in awhile if you're curious about that. Said posts will be tagged as #fanfiction.

I also have a FictionPress account where I have published some of my original stories/poems. More may be added at some point.

I don't read or write slash (as in Legolas/Aragorn, not virgules).

Tom Bombadil. Gildor Inglorion. Glorfindel. Elladan and Elrohir. Erkenbrand. Halbarad. Ghân-buri-Ghân. Copy and paste to your profile if you wish Peter Jackson had been able to bring these amazing characters to life onscreen for more people to be able to discover! (NEVER FORGET.)

My Stories:

I am currently in the long and slow process of completely rewriting Duty, which has finally begun to get up and running again. Strange Fates is tentatively on hiatus, as I have been very busy with the aforementioned Duty. However, both will be updated as soon as possible. Honestly, I do try, but sometimes life *coughschoolcough* gets in the way. Updating at least once a month has been and currently is my goal, though whether I shall be able to truly realize such a lofty objective is a debatable point.

If you want to know how everything is progressing, feel free to send me a PM! I'm always happy to discuss my stories (or honestly, Tolkien in general) with my readers (or, y'know, anyone who wants to talk).

Have a story you'd like me to take a look at? Check out my beta profile and send me a PM if you're interested.

SUPERMEGAAWESOME STUFF TO LOOK OUT FOR (Appearing Sometime in the Foreseeable Future):

Highly Recommended Fics:

Tolkien:

Leaf Storm a Tale of Middleearth, by Kida Greenleaf: This was actually the first story I read on this site. If you like the Legolas/Éowyn pairing, it's pretty much the best story out there, though sadly unfinished.

The Price of Freedom, by Erin Lasgalen: Another great Legolas/Éowyn fic, and one of the few fics I've read with a truly believable antagonist.

Moriquendi and Moriquendi - The Eryn Lasgalen Cycle, by Fan81981: The only Legolas/OC pairing I've ever liked, let alone gladly sat through 66 chapters of. A masterpiece.

A Little Nudge Out of the Door, by Jocelyn: Probably the best little!Legolas story I've encountered. Her character development is mind-blowing. A bit of a time commitment, but entirely worth it.

The Ugly Duckling of Dol Amroth, by Spake2121: I'm relatively new to the Éomer/Lothíriel pairing, but this one stole my heart. Her writing is absolutely stunning.

The Awkward Adventures of Meghan Whimblesby and The Ongoing Adventures of Meghan, by FebruarySong: They're hilarious. And her Legolas is probably the best I've encountered in any story I've read thus far.

Plain Jane in Thirteen Chapters and Hurricane Jane: Plain Jane Two, by Larry1710: More hilarious (but realistic) GiME stories.

Elrond's Most Forgettable Birthday, by TreeHugger: One of the funniest stories I've ever read.

The Scruff Factor, by JastaElf: Insanely funny.

Dear Writers of FanFiction, by A Vulcan's Kiss: Sarcastic elves all over the place.

Ask Elrond, by labradorite: Hilarious OOCness everywhere.

The Game of the Gods, by Limyaael: Pretty much the best Mary Sue parody I've found. Also a wonderful example of how to actually write a good subplot.

Fair Wanderer, Thou Makest Me Sicker, by Araloth the Random: Another amazing Sue parody.

Nine Men And A Little Lady, by Kielle: One of the best Mary Sue bashings out there.

The Official Fanfiction University of Middleearth, by misscam: A classic from the heyday of LotR fanfiction. Just about every Tolkien fanfiction reader has worked their way through this hysterical piece. There's a reason for that.

Eowyn: A Character Analysis, by Kathryn Angelle: This is perfect.

No Light in the Shadows, by StarLight9: A horrendously underreviewed but absurdly amazing Éowyn fic entirely from her point of view, possibly the best I've ever read featuring this character.

tertia (walking backwards), by TenTenD: I don't ship Haldir/Éowyn, but the way this was breathtaking both in the writing style and the bittersweetness of the story.

The Unauthorized Biography of Legolas Greenleaf and The Unfinished Tales of Legolas Greenleaf by alliwantisanelfforchristmas: Very OOC, but extremely funny.

Other:

Isolation, by Bex-chan: More or less the Dramione fanfic. There is, of course, a reason for this.

A Morbid Taste for Ice, by sitehound: I never even considered shipping Darcy/Loki, but reading this spectacular fic completely changed my mind. Her characterization of Thor, Loki, and Darcy is flawless. (FINALLY SOMEONE WHO WRITES THOR AS HE SHOULD BE WRITTEN. And Loki is always scathingly witty, but it's completely natural. And Darcy... how do I even begin to explain Darcy? Gaah, I love them all. Shh. Just read.)

steel in your hand, by Mira-Jade: Somewhere along the way I turned into a huge Sifki shipper, and this is definitely one of my favorite fics for this pairing. Beautiful.

what's buried underneath (where I am), by TenTenD: One of the best Rhaegar/Lyanna romances I've found on this site. I love her unique AUs for this pairing.

Two Days after Never, by TenTenD: Another wonderful Rhaegar/Lyanna romance; definitely one of my favorite AUs in the ASoIaF fandom, if not my favorite ASoIaF fic.

Pairings I Ship:

Faramir/Éowyn (LotR books... I don't read much fanfiction for this one, because no one writes Faramir/Éowyn like Tolkien himself.)

Legolas/Éowyn (LotR movies... a semi-crack pairing that I probably take way too seriously.)

Aragorn/Éowyn (LotR movies, occasionally books... I get why Faramir's the man for her, but it was the first pairing I ever shipped with these books. And I hate what they did to Faramir's character in the movies.)

Finduilas/Túrin (Silmarillion... sort of. It's more of a I-really-wish-they-could've-gotten-together-but-know-that-it's-completely-hopeless-and-she's-still-way-too-good-for-him kind of thing.)

Bard/Tauriel (Hobbit movies... y'know what? Don't ask.)

... and pretty much any other canonical pairing you can come up with. Some I'm fine with but really just don't care all that much about unless the fic is really exceptional (Galadriel/Celeborn, Sam/Rosie, etc.), so these are the main ones. While some of these pairings are for the movies only, I prefer to read fics written from the books, and all of mine are done such. Go figure.

Take 3 minutes and try this... BUT NO CHEATING!

Don't read ahead... just do it in order! It's worth a try.

First get a pen and paper. When you actually choose names, make sure it's people you actually know and go with your first instinct.

Scroll down one line at a time... and don't read ahead or you'll ruin it!

1. First, write the numbers 1 through 11 in a column.

2. Then, beside numbers 1 and 2, write down any two numbers you want.

3. Beside the 3 and 7, write down the names of members of the opposite sex.

4. Write anyone's name (like friends or family...) in the 4th, 5th, and 6th spots.

5. Write down four song titles in 8, 9, 10, and 11. (Go with your instincts!)

6. Finally, make a wish.

And now the key for the game...

1. You must tell (the number in space 2) people about this game.

2. The person in space 3 is the one that you love.

3. The person in 7 is one you like but can't work out.

4. You care most about the person you put in 4.

5. The person you name in number 5 is the one who knows you very well.

6. The person you name in 6 is your lucky star.

7. The song in 8 is the song that matches with the person in number 3.

8. The title in 9 is the song for the person in 7.

9. The tenth space is the song that tells you most about YOUR mind.

10. 11 is the song telling you how you feel about life

NOW... post this bulletin (don't reply) within the hour. IF you do, your wish will come true...

If you don't it will become the opposite.